The Department for Culture, Media and Sport swims in the backwaters of public spending. It's a minnow compared to big fish like health, education and the armed forces. But it too has had to accept its share of the cuts. The Guardian reported that culture minister Maria Miller has settled for an 8% budget reduction for DCMS. Initial indications suggested she might hold out against the Treasury for more, but any pragmatic minister interested in survival must ultimately reach a settlement.

The report also mentioned that after heavy lobbying the blow for arts and museums might be softened. Hooray – all interested in culture value the arts and museums. But the consequence of this reprieve was not mentioned. If museums and arts are to have their cut restricted to 5%, who within the DCMS portfolio must suffer heavier damage? The answer is heritage.

The government seems to view heritage as a soft target and an unaffordable luxury in the current climate. But is this really so and are its natural allies – arts and museums – more worthy of public support? Arts and museums undoubtedly bring cultural wellbeing and attract tourism, but heritage does this too.

The catalytic effect of historic buildings and sites on schemes for the regeneration of urban areas is well documented. Far from being an impediment to growth, heritage often provides a successful centre piece for redevelopment. Just look at the so-called 'knowledge quarter' around King's Cross and St Pancras, or sites like Spitalfields Market in east London where the old and new thrive side-by-side. Old buildings bring character and help link the present to the past, allowing us to understand who we are. Heritage is an asset to the UK and one that's all too easily undervalued within plans for growth.

Assets require care, and at a national level two of the greatest carers are English Heritage and the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT). English Heritage looks after many buildings and sites, provides an advisory service to local planning authorities, and has a statutory duty to guide government on the listing of structures that have special historic and architectural interest. The CCT cares for the most important redundant churches, making them available to tourists and to community groups.

The CCT's All Soul's, Bolton scheme is a shining example of how an old church can be made relevant and useful to a community that is now predominantly Muslim. Both organisations are dependent on central government funding via DCMS and took a disproportionate hit in the comprehensive spending review of 2010, damaging their reach and effectiveness.

These agencies also work collaboratively with a network of voluntary sector organisations that bring considerable resources to the field but depend on a small trickle of public sector funding. Modest financial help from English Heritage allows charities such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) to deliver advice, training and advisory services.

Heritage volunteers may be best known as room stewards in places open to the public, but there is also an enormous amount of time given voluntarily by conservation professionals. In the case of SPAB, the UK's oldest building conservation charity, many architects, surveyors and engineers provide their expertise free. This supports the planning process, helping elected members at a local level make informed decisions about applications which affect their historic structures and sites.

SPAB also carries out training, again using voluntary help facilitated by a small amount of English Heritage funding. Those who are trained provide skills for the building industry, and ensure the historic environment is passed on to future generations as an asset with economic and cultural value.

Its funding has also supported the society's research into the improvement of energy efficiency in old buildings. With older buildings forming a high proportion of England's building stock, and certain to remain so into the future, it is essential that we find sympathetic and effective ways to reduce carbon emissions. Without English Heritage backing and collaboration, this work will cease.

Heritage cuts will yield savings too small to help the Treasury, but much damage will still be done. Vast numbers of people appreciate the historic environment as part of their daily lives and will notice the effect as its care erodes. The heritage sector accepts that public spending cuts are a fact of life, but we do not consider it right for heritage to be penalised beyond the level suffered by others.

If heritage is hammered again, after the hammering of 2010, it will be looked upon by future generations as one of the greatest tragedies of the current cuts.